Who have you inspired?
The original title of this post was ‘who has inspired you?’ but as I was writing it I realised that the question should, in fact be, ‘who have you inspired?’ Now I know the inclination is to say ‘no-one, who could I possibly have inspired?’ but the reality is that we have all had a great impact on someone else in our lives, sometimes we may not even have known at the time.
Last week I spent the weekend with some friends I have known for a very long time. Indeed one of them I met when we were young adults, living and working in Paris thirty years ago. Over dinner one friend said he had a big announcement to make and went on to tell us he had worked his last day in an administration job and was starting a new career as an indoor landscape gardener the very next week. He was elated and said this is the type of work he has always desired but never felt able to pursue. He went on to say that it was, in fact, something I had said to him some years earlier that had prompted his change in thinking about his life. Apparently I had told him in a conversation when we first met that I thought everyone should go after their dreams when they have the chance, that opportunities should always be pursued and we must take those risks as they could result in the best move we ever made in our lives.
Of course this really is my belief, as you may have read in my earlier post, ‘If you don’t have a go you’ll never know’.
Interestingly at around the same time I received a comment on my last post from Mark Sherman and realised how very important it is for us to always put out as much as we can in the best way possible, as it will reap rewards that we cannot possibly imagine at the time.
Enjoy the journey.
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Inspiration and dreams are difficult to recognize at times. I’ve been inspired by some of my business associates and a lot of the friends I’ve had over the years. Sometimes that inspiration was a reaction to a negative impression or behavior I observed.
I have to admit I inspired an old friend of mine without knowing it at the time. About 20 years ago I decided I wanted to be a computer programmer and enrolled in a technical college to learn to be one. I graduated and went on to writing ebooks, being a ghostwriter and joining partners in various Internet pursuits.
Anyway, after I graduated from the technical college, an old friend told me that I had inspired her to start medical school. She wanted to become a doctor all her life and, because I just dropped everything and went back to college to live my dream, she decided to do it for herself. She is a doctor now.
Inspiration can come from anywhere, a glimpse of something that needs correcting or solving, a sighting of beautiful scenery or sunrises or just something that you do to complete your dreams. Living your dream life, as you define it, is definitely a powerful inspiration in places and for reasons your never thought about.
You never know who is watching.
Pat
I absolutely agree, Pat, that our inspiration can come from anything or anyone. Thanks for sharing your experiences. We often simply do not know just how much we are inspiring those around us, not only by our words but by our actions and how we live our lives.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy .. I have been and seen – but not conquered … rather a lot going on .. I’ll be back .. looks inspiring though – well done ..
Fantastic to see .. and it’s lovely being acknowledged isn’t it .. & you did yours all on your own .. ?!
I’ll be in touch .. not sure if you saw my UN post – but at the end there’s a PS about sarahealy.com and her post to me?!
Anyway .. it just makes life so much more interesting and happy making ..
Talk more anon .. must dash .. SO MUCH GOING ON .. and the tennis & my Mum to visit .. byeeee
Delighted to hear from you .. see you soon .. Hilary
Hi Hilary, thank you so much for making time to pass by. I will dash over to your post right now! And yes, the tennis is rather riveting, isn’t it…come on Andy!
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy, its amazing the influence we have on people, about 5 years ago I was building my own kitchen and ran out of copper tube so I went to the DIY store a short walk from my home. I got stopped by a young man who enquired if I was who he thought I was, when I said yes he shook my hand and thanked me for all the rollickings I had given him when he was at school!
He said it had turned him around as he could have got into drugs and gangs and gone to jail like his mates. What I had said had made sense finally and he had a job in the accounts department of the local council. He thanked me again and went back to work, I had no idea who he was and I was too embarrased to ask him.
Rob
Bless you, Rob! I think we’ve all been there with the bad memory bit! Well done for trying to guide a younger person in the right direction though. I know from my youth work experience that at the time it can appear that no changes are taking place and anything said is having no effect whatsoever, but often young people remember later on and take heed.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Mandy,
Right at this moment, I can’t think of someone I have inspired, but I can think of people who inspired me.
Two that come to mind are my daughters. Both of my girls graduated from college in areas that later they found were not particularly good for them.
My eldest switched from history to social work and now works in England, where she lives with her husband. She loves her new work, but it meant being away from her husband (then boyfriend) for three years as she studied in the States.
My youngest switched from computer science after working in it for two years and realizing it wasn’t for her. She switched to Forensic Anthropology, which means she has will probably spend many years in school again. But she’s happy.
I like that my kids are willing to take a chance to find work that fulfills them. They inspire me to take on more challenges:~)
Hi Sara, I’m quite sure that you have indeed inspired others, especially your children. Often we simply are not aware of those who have been inspired by us, as I would not have been had my friend not told me. As for who has inspired us, well, I’m sure we both could come up with a list for that answer! Thanks for sharing your story.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy,
Most of us believe we are too insignificant to influence other peoples lives.
Your post and the other comments reminded me of the time when I was in the construction industry and a labourer working for me said he had always wanted to be able to work at my trade because I made it look so easy.
He was past the age of taking an apprenticeship so I casually mentioned that he should take a job with someone who had the time and and inclination to teach him properly.
This he did and while not having all the skills of the trade he eventually started up his own business and was quite successful, even employing other people.
When you think about it many, many people influence our lives so why shouldn’t we influence others.
Regards,
Bill
Hi Bill, thanks for visiting. I agree entirely about many other people influencing our lives, and yes, why shouldn’t we be the ones that influence others? Great story, thanks for sharing.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy .. got back – it is interesting how a few salient words can change people’s lives – I love it that some people take things on board and remember those few words. I hope that I’ve inspired a few over the years .. and I know I do now – usually health related because of my mother, or being patient, caring etc ..
and – of course – being positive .. and thinking that things might have occurred because there were challenges and therefore the problem is understandable .. so many just think negative – when in fact it’s unfortunate .. then a few gentle words, or a smile .. make all the difference to others.
Following our dreams or passions .. be it singing and giving it a go as you have done, or bigger dreams as as others have done – so many of us never give it a chance .. luckily we all can – & those that are here know that ..
Good post – inspiring others .. thank you .. enjoy our sunny day today .. and the last of the tennis .. Hilary
Hi Hilary, I have been amazed at the power of the internet as it gives us the opportunity to come into contact with so many more people. If we are to think that we have positively influenced the small number of people around us in our lives just think how many we may have had an impact on through our blogs!
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
I am inspired by all the lovely reading I do on the Internet, though I often do not leave tons of comments. I am hoping that my writing on the Internet inspires folks to be their best selves too as that seems to be my life purpose is to model and inspire the best in people.
I went to a Graduation at EWU a couple of weeks ago and was inspired by the speaker – and when I wrote about that on my blog, low and behold one of the students I highlighted wrote a comment about how I had inspired him to do his best work and to work towards doing his best work post graduation…
good post and idea sharing. Thank you
Hi Patricia, I can honestly say you do inspire through your writing, I have been on the receiving end of that inspiration so I know! Thanks for sharing your story.
Enjoy the journey,
Mandy
Mandy,
This is great post. I love how you changed the title and how that simple wording changes everything; perspective and cause.
I try to live my life as if everything is a blessing. Good or bad. I live open to possibilities, rather than a rigid schedule. I always hope I inspire those scared to live and feel, to let go just a little.
Words are so very powerful, aren’t they Angelia. Thanks for dropping by and thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy,
Sorry for coming in late to this thread. Lynne and I have been at a resort for 5 days and had hardly any cell or computer capability.
In any case, I can’t think of any one instance that I can recall inspiring someone. But I think it is important to help anyone and any where we can. I’ve known for a long time that whatever you do in life comes back to you, so whether or not you know of someone you’ve inspired or not isn’t really important. If you do know that you’ve inspired someone it is just a plus.
The important thing is that you’ve tried your best to help the people and situations around you for the good.
I have always believed this, but one man that inspired me was an old boss of mine, Ken Payne. He told me one day that no matter what the situation was to say yes. The day he told me this was a day I needed to take a day off from work to go with Lynne to the doctors. I was ashamed to ask because I had reports to accomplish that were very important for our organization. He just told me to “take off, everything will work out ok at work” then told me about saying yes. When I came in the next day, the word came down that the content desired in the reports had changed and the new reports were due two weeks out. So by him saying yes, I actually saved extra work. Ken was right on the mark.
So by saying yes to those around you (short on cash for lunch, changing a flat tire, loading groceries, etc) you can change a persons day or his way of thinking for life.
Help where ever you can it will always work out for the best in the long run. Somewhere in the Bible it says “cast your bread on the water and it will come back to you” and “all things work for good for those that love the Lord” and having experienced this first hand, I am learning that there is much more to just doing small things for someone. The more you help, the better things are for you in life.
Good thread here, Mandy. Keep up the good work!
Jay
Hi Jay, thanks for stopping by. You’re not late at all and it’s always a pleasure to hear from you. I’m sure you have inspired many but simply do not know about it. As someone else said, the fact that we are ourselves inspired by many can only lead us to believe that we do indeed inspire others.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
‘What you give out, you get back’ Mandy. It must have been heartwarming to know that a close friend had benefited from something you had said in passing.
I’m not sure if I have inspired anyone, but I do a good job on myself.
I taught for three years and imagined myself as a “Mr Chips” character. My friend who started teaching at the same time wanted to be “Miss Brodie”, (his favourite colour is pink).
Keep these posts coming Mandy.
John
Hi John, yes, it was indeed a very pleasant surprise. I’m sure you have inspired people, even though you might not know it. As a teacher you no doubt brought inspiration to your students, even though they may not have said so at the time. I did youth work in a local high school for some years, with young people on the verge of exclusion. They were very challenging and I wasn’t ever quite sure if I was actually benefitting them or not, until a few years ago when a young man came up to me in the chip shop and said he was one of a group I’d had a few years earlier. I didn’t recognise him and to this day have no idea what his name was, but he said he knew the group were so very badly behaved at the time but that he really appreciated what I’d done for them all, and especially him, as he was now the ‘chief fryer’ at the chip shop! I didn’t teach him how to fry chips but must have passed something on that was useful to his future.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy,
I love the title. I tend to be a cliff jumper and live life embracing each moment as it is presented to me. I inspire my children, I inspire those who visit my blog, I inspire those whom I interact with; just as I am inspired my so many who share authentically…
Mandy,
I love the idea of thinking about who I may have inspired. It’s humbling to me in some way… I guess because it’s along the line of serving others, as opposed to always wondering what we are going to get.
This was a great post. A strong message delivered in a gentle way
Hi Davina, thanks for visiting. I totally agree about being humbled by the responses of people we meet. I think true givers are often very surprised at what comes back as they have little or no recognition of the impact they have on others.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Gosh yes, Joy, I agree with you, I too am a definite risk taker, but as I said in an earlier post, if you don’t have a go you’ll never know if you can…thanks for visiting.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hey Mandy,
I love to inspire people and push them forward.
I always get really lovely emails from people telling me I inspired them to do stuff related to working online, it’s really nice and makes me feel all warm inside ha ha.
Sally
That’s a really nice story, Sally. It’s great that people acknowledge the influence you have on them.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy, If people are just themselves and follow good ways they will influence people. It’s the goodness and the differences in all of us that influence people. Terry Conti
Very good point, Terry. I absolutely agree with you.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy, look who’s late as usual!
I’ve known you for about 18 months and have seen you inspire lots of people, through your blog, comments left on other blogs and comments left on forums. Myself included when i was on bed rest for all that time.
Once my health is back on track and i can get cracking on my plans i hope to inspire lots and lots of people in my situation to change theirs for the better.
One more operation first though, 6 weeks and counting.
Catch up soon Mandy,
Barry
Now I know you have inspired plenty, Barry. Don’t forget, I’ve seen your comments too!
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hey Mandy,
My life is like a warning about WHAT NOT TO DO and I plan to inspire others by surviving my latest fall from grace.
Thank you for spreading the love, ma’am.
Anonymous
Bless you, Barry.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy
Your right ! you never know who you might inspire! when I managed a pet/garden shop many years ago! a young lad came in for a saturday job, but unfortunately there were no vacancies, but twice a week he kept coming in to see if a vacancy had occured! eventually I found him a few hours! he was quick to learn and was always asking questions! When he left school he asked me what should he do for work! I told him he was a natural salesman and manager and that he should pursue his dreams ! Ten years later he came to see me! and thanked me for my help on his journey to work fulfillment! He was now one of the top managers at W.H. Smiths and it all started from his persistance and me recognising a talent in him!
So it just goes to show we never know who we may Inspire to achieve great things!
All the best
Nick
Well done, Nick! One of the greatest things we can do is inspire our young people. After all they are our future.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy,
I find it amazing how what we say, or have said can leave an impression on someone and we may never know it. For me, it’s a good reminder to stay positive, give words of encouragement and not be afraid to pass out those atta boys/girls.
My hope is with my blog I inspire others to think past what they may hear. As much as we can learn from those who came before us, I don’t think we should necessarily believe what worked for others will work for us. It’s kind of like teaching others to be “informed consumers”.
I absolutely agree, Barbara, we do need to be mindful of what we are writing and how we present things. Not only can we inspire someone, our words can also have a very different effect on others, we have to be aware of that.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy, excellent post! It reminds of an online video that Anik Singal did recently where he made it clear that he was only going to talk about how much success his students were having as opposed to how much success he himself had. Be well, Steve D.
That’s a great story, Steve. It is great to see others inspiring people around them and being pleased at their success.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
[...] was from Mandy Allen entitled “Who have you inspired?” Where Mandy talks about linking up with some old friends and [...]
Wise advice Mandy…and as you can see you had a profound effect on someone and didn’t even realize it.
I am all about going after dreams…I don’t believe in boundaries and I reach for the stars!
Kathy
Good philosophy, Kathy. I can imagine we all influence lots of people through our writing on our blog, and we don’t even know it.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy, This post really made me think. I have inadvertently influenced people in many ways throughout my life. Thing is, were they positive influences, I just can’t say!
Ray
Ha! Yes, Raymond, I can see what you mean, we can only hope we are a good influence.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy,
Great post something very original that I have not seen on other blogs. I have received several emails recently from customers who bought my first ever product online thanking me for all the support I gave them and helping them to acheive their first sales online.
This warmed my heart more than any money they might have put in my bank account as it made me realise that I must be doing something right online and I got a genuine feeling of imense satisfaction that I had helped others succeed online. I hope it continues for many years to come
Regards,
Steve Wilkins.
Steven Wilkins recently posted..Technology Is Changing And So Should Your Business
Hi Steve, lovely to see you here! You certainly do inspire people, Steve, and those emails are the proof.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Well I have to tell you that you have inspired me. In the short time I’ve been involved with John Thornhill’s masterclass, I’ve seen your name everywhere in the forum. You obviously have a lot of love and inspiration to offer the world, and I’m very glad to have come across you on this world wide web.
Noelle recently posted..How I’ve Failed…And How I’m Going to Fix It
Hi Noelle, thanks for visiting, and thanks for that really nice comment. I am firmly of the belief that everyone can succeed if a. they want to enough and b. they have the right support when they need it. Go get it, friend!
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Inspiration is a weird thing…where it comes to us from, and where we inspire others, is almost always accidental.
As an example, I got here following a post title from your CommentLuv sig over on Doolin’s place…and I’m walking away with the outline for my next post…and its not directly blogging or inspiration, except self-inspiration, related.
Thanks.
Bob Hayles recently posted..I love P-Dub…I hate P-Dub…I love P-Dub…I hate…
I completely agree, Bob. Isn’t it amazing though how very impressionable both we and others are to the words of other people in our lives? Thanks for visiting.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy –
Brilliant post as always and it got me thinking.
When I was at university, I met a guy with a paralyzed arm. His seemingly positive attitude was infectious and I loved the way he just got on with stuff. We went out together for a while but in private, he was always commenting about how I must be sorry he didn’t have the use of two arms. Actually it didn’t bother me but his going on about it did. I ended it, saying that he was a great guy but that he needed to believe it and go out and get on with life.
He left before I did but came back to visit me in my final year. He thanked me as what I’d said had made him see things differently and now he truly believed in himself. He was coaching football in his spare time, had a job he loved and was getting married! All this he said was down to what I’d said!
Like so many of your commentators here, I find when people have told me I influenced or inspired them it has been with near “throw away” comments of mine. Words are powerful. We cannot know when what we say will be taken to heart, and acted on. They say “careful what you wish for” but maybe it should be “careful what you say” as well.
Cheers!
Susan
Susan Owen-Thursfield recently posted..Grab Some Quick Stress Relief
Hi Susan, thanks for visiting. Or maybe you shouldn’t be careful with what you say if your words have a positive influence on people. If you were careful with them you might choose not to say what you instinctively do. I think sometimes we try to analyse things too much and should trust our intuition more, as you clearly do. Good for you!
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy